Interview Freak Slug: “I don’t want to put this light façade on anymore”
Meet the Manchester multi-instrumentalist whose debut ‘I Blow Out Big Candles’ is a testament to leaning into her entire and unapologetic self.
Ask Xenya Genovese – aka Manchester singer and multi-instrumentalist Freak Slug – how she knew she was ready to begin work on her debut album and the answer is refreshingly frank: “I didn’t want to release an album until I had enough of a fan base, which I feel like I do have now.”
In a world of increasingly choreographed trends and heavily curated social media feeds, you get the sense that Freak Slug is really only interested in following the beat of her own drum. She’s been that way since the beginning. Having moved to London from her childhood home in Manchester to study Fine Art at university, it was only when she had relocated again – this time, to Barcelona – that the foundations for this project were first laid. Unexpectedly finding herself performing on stage, the thing she always considered a teenage hobby started to feel like something with far greater potential. “It was always supposed to be music,” she nods. “It just satisfies me so much more, it satisfies more parts of me.”
Since then, the world of Freak Slug has continued to flourish into technicolour life, with each of her EPs shaping a distinct corner of her sonic world. “It’s been a process,” she says today. “I had no idea what was coming for me at all.” But while her early EPs – 2020’s ‘Videos’, 2022’s ‘I’m In Love’ and 2023’s ‘Viva La Vulva’ – saw her delve into a more dream-soaked, sugary take on indie-pop, it’s with her debut full-length ‘I Blow Out Big Candles’ that she’s really laying herself out for all to see.
“I’m not shy and sweet; I’m quite boisterous.”
“I definitely liked a lot more light music at the time,” she explains, reflecting on the difference between her early work and now, “a lot of like, female-led vocal, dreamy stuff. I also just knew that I wanted to try something really, really different to my early stuff,” she notes, referencing a selection of mostly-unreleased material from the start of her songwriting days. “I knew that if I wanted a bigger audience, I needed – to an extent – higher production, less lo-fi, more front-facing lyrics. It was very, very intentional.”
With ‘I Blow Out Big Candles’, she’s returning to the grunge and scuzzy indie-rock that really holds her heart, with the likes of Stephen Malkmus, Mazzy Star and Slowdive all providing inspiration. “I’ve always really liked this ‘90s vibe. When I went to uni, the group that I chilled with loved Pavement and all that stuff, so that was a big part of me returning to indie. I had a big moment when I liked electronic stuff, but going to uni and chilling with artists helped me remember what I actually love; I’m an indie girl.”
As such, it sets a delicious sonic backdrop to an album that’s entirely and unapologetically her. From the reverb-drenched flirtation of ‘Sexy Lemon’ to the tongue-in-cheek kiss-off of ‘Piece Of Cake’, via the slinky but unapologetic ‘Spells’, ‘I Blow Out Big Candles’ is a no holds barred exploration of the spectrum of personality; dark and light, reflective and confident. “I don’t want to put this light façade on anymore,” she confirms. “That’s just not me. I want to be me; I’m not shy and sweet. I’m quite boisterous, so the music needs to represent me.”
‘I Blow Out Big Candles’ is out now via Future Classic.
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